I Love The USA Blog Hop: Summer Picnic Style

I am so excited to welcome you to my blog today as a stop on the I Love the USA Blog Hop tour! I am thrilled you are here and I hope you enjoy my "summer picnic style" theme. So grab a spot on that blanket or at that picnic table, pour yourself a mason jar cup of ice tea and get ready for a piece of cake!

I was so thrilled when I got an invite to this blog hop. I might have screamed so loud for excitement that I woke the neighbors up from their slumber! I counted down the days until I got my box of goodies and I might have stalked the mailman. Might have. Okay, so I did. I was so happy when this box of pretties showed up:

Whoa Nelly!!! I couldn't wait to get started! So many great things from sponsors were sent to all the designers. My box was stuffed full of goodies (including a bag of candy!)Sponsors in my box included:The main fabric--so cute and adorable! It is Designed by the talented Laura Kelly and available in Joann Stores. It can be found here for purchase:

The darling buttons are also by Laura Kelly and came is awesome shades of red, white and blue!

When I first got my goodie box I knew I would make a little girls dress. Some of you may know that I have sewn little girls boutique clothes for several years now. I love Laura's adorable fabric with the little peeps. It's fun and patriotic and a perfect print for a 4th of July sundress. But I knew that directional fabrics can have some challenges. I wanted the fabric to shine, but not overpower the eye. It couldn't have to many ruffles that would make the little peeps disappear. It wasn't long before I decided that my sweet talented friend Jen had created the perfect pattern for this dress--- The Square Neck Top and Dress Pattern.

Be sure and stop by The Tie Dye Diva Pattern website. She makes some of the best pdf patterns out there! Here directions are clear, with lots of pictures. They are easy enough for beginners, but perfect for advanced seamstresses as well. I might possibly own the whole collection.

Here is how mine came out with a few modifications:

I just love the bodice with this cute little button pin!

Look for a tutorial next week on the minor modifications I made including the polkadot trim and the bodice ruffle.

The pin was so easy to make. It's simply 3 buttons hot glued together with the back red one glued to a pin back. So easy, less than 2 minutes to make and it would look darling on anything! I love the flower shaped button!

Love those little peeps! And the bottom hem helps anchor the print.

Another simple button allows for the back closure.
So once the dress was done I thought how cute it would be for a 4th of July picnic and that led me to my next project: The I Love the USA Placemat.

So simple, and yet it makes such an impact! Paired up with several mini flags it can really make a patriotic statement.

Of course I couldn't resist using the Ball canning jars in the limited edition blue. So perfect for an outside patriotic picnic!

The design for these are so easy. I simply took a regular placemat pattern and cut it off about 4-5 inches. I replaced the cut off fabric with white fabric, adding a quarter inch seam into calculations for each fabric piece. After sewing that, I took a pretty ribbon, butted it up to the seam, and secured it using a decorative stitch. I then fussy cut some of the little "peeps" and stars and adhered them to the white fabric with heat and bond. The letters were cut out using my cricut and a sparkly iron on material. It was my first time using it, and I give it a "thumbs up" rating!

How perfect did these plates/bowls match? I bought them years ago from Longaberger and they have lasted the test of time. My kids use them all the time, because they are unbreakable!

I love the statement the flags make, with a few tulips in the background, along with the upside down patriotic Longaberger basket. It had a reason for being upside down---It held the cake! Because what kind of picnic would it be without a cake?

How fun is this! Little peeps on cake!

So easy to do. Using the Pomph materials I received, I attached the fabric. I fussy cut around the shapes and stuck a bamboo skewer through the layers. I secured with a zigzag stitch and hot glued buttons on. I love the thought of fabric cake skewers matching party themes! Think of the possibilities. The stars are merely star buttons hot glued to toothpicks. Easy peasy.

The cake itself was not easy peasy. I might have made the icing 4 times. And spent 4 hours scrubbing a burnt pan. Next time I might just buy a store-bought cake. Ahh, life is never perfect is it?

I hope you have enjoyed my Patriotic Picnic.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions, or ideas for the materials. I can't thank Jenn Goode and Laura Kelly enough, they both did a fabulous job hosting the blog hop!
And just as an added bonus, be sure and get it on the goodies that the sponsors have offered up for grabs for some lucky winners!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again for stopping by! Be sure to catch other bloggers patriotic projects today!

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